Wed 28 Mar 2007
Loading ...I have always been a small town boy. I recently got a job in the Big Smoke (Toronto, On) at an iT firm and have been transformed into the city life. People everywhere, cars everywhere else, and rapid movement surround me as I scream out for my Mommy. As I started my new job (even though we are only on the 3rd floor) I like 90% of the people I work with used the elevator to bring me to work every morning / night. I have always been an active person so being behind a computer all day and watching TV all night was beginning to get to me.
My first lifestyle change was very simple, I started using the stairs. The small act of going up 3 flights of stairs 2-4 times a day brought a renewed energy and a different feel to my work day. I simply made a conscious choice to avoid the elevator and get my blood pumping if only for a little while. As this was happening I was getting used to my new surroundings and beginning to fall into my more active and stimulating life style….Wait, Stop for a minute. There is something more stimulating than TV?? Yeah it’s called a brain, I still watch TV a lot so there’s a little hypocrisy going on but I’ve added routines like playing guitar, going for walks and going to the gym. Now that the weather is getting better I can start riding my Bike for fun and transportation. My mind and body have been thanking me ever since I decided to take the stairs.
Adjusting to a big city lifestyle has been challenging for me as I long for those day’s back in Penetang (near Barrie, ON) where I could cross the street in close to 1 hundred different places and be completely surrounded by untouched wilderness or the beautiful Georgian bay. But as I look at the city more closely there are some aspects I’ve begun to admire. Recycling in compost are paramount here and exist on every street corner something I would never see back home. There are a lot more parks and open areas then I saw at first glance and I am beginning to take a closer look and explore. I guess the secret to living in the city is just to take it one step at a time.
-Jeff Radecki
May 28th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
It really is something else for small town guys like you and I to move to the city. You can’t out if the situation is odd or if just you are odd when, during that moment of self-reflection you find somewhere between the 3rd and 4th beer, you start thinking, “hmmm, I bet none of these guys have ever built a TP or snowshoed through the middle of some random forest. I bet none of these guys have x-country skied across a frozen bay while being chased by a dog (that one’s for you Jeff). But you’re right. Once you spend some time in the city, meet some friends and maybe join a sports team, you begin to realize that it really matters little if they’ve done what you’ve done, because they’ve done alot that you haven’t done - like party on top of a sky-scraper or master a grafiti mural. The important thing to remember is that that small town is your home, your story, and that your friends are your most important link to it.
May 29th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Yeah man that dog was vicous i think i saw blood dripping from his mouth. And of course the TP was amazing. How about when we were doing repairs on it and those deer ran by thats something i dont see in the city althoguh i did see 3 ducks and a bunny rabbit this mornign on my bike into work.